1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for servicing a telecommunication junction box having a plurality of fasteners, wires and electrical connections.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for accessing and crimping a wire in a telecommunications junction box.
2. Description of Related Art including disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Telephone systems in the United States and other countries entail the use of relatively complex wiring. Telecommunication housings or junction boxes which contain many strands of telephone wires are placed in cities, towns and suburbs throughout the United States. Telephone company technicians open these junction boxes and connect, disconnect, crimp, cut, punch down, and otherwise manipulate the wire housed in the boxes. Each wire typically includes an electrically insulative coating except at points along the wire which are stripped to expose the bare metal wire.
Telecommunication junction boxes have a variety of names, including cross box, ready access point, pedestal, wall terminal, SNI (standard network interface box on the sides of homes), and demarcation point (typically in large buildings). Wires in the junction boxes typically are attached to binding posts, punch down blocks, screw terminals, or other electric terminals.
A large incoming feeder line with fifty pairs of wires connects to the pedestal. A plurality of smaller outgoing buried service lines extend from the pedestal to a plurality of homes or other building structures. Each buried service wire includes in its center two to six pairs of wires. Each pair of wires serves as one telephone line. A buried service wire extends from a pedestal to the SNI in a telecommunication box. The SNI (standard network interface) is the demarcation point at which telephone company service lines end and connect to telephone lines or wiring in a home or other building structure.
The two to six pairs of wire in each buried service wire are surrounded by a rubber insulator. The rubber insulator is surround by a layer or jacket of wound copper. The jacket further protects the two to six pairs of wire and serves as an electrical ground. Another layer of insulation is formed over the copper jacket to protect the copper. At times, it is necessary for a telephone repairman to cut through the layer of insulation formed over the copper jacket.
When a telephone company technician is accessing through a junction box door 17 a wire 15 in the junction box 16, he can use the tool 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. Tool 10 includes handle 13 and neck 11 pivotally attached to handle 13 by pin 12. The distal end of handle 11 includes hook 14. The technician uses hook 14 to engage wire 15 and pull wire 15 free from a bundle or group of other wires in box 16. Hook 14 may be utilized to pull a second wire (third wire, etc.) out from a bundle or group of wires. A wire cutter can be utilized to cut the wire 15 in half, if desired.
A “button” 100 can be utilized to crimp or “splice” together two or more wires. A variety of crimping or splicing buttons are known in the art. By way of example, 3M Company produces various SKOTCHLOK(™) connectors which are used to splice together wires without having to strip off and remove the insulation from the wires at the points at which the wires are being spliced.
The tool 20 shown in FIG. 2 is typically used to squeeze, or crimp, a button 100 inserted between gripping members 26 and 29. Handles 22 and 24 are manually displaced about pivot point 25 in the direction of arrows J and K to displace members 26 and 29 in the direction of arrows L and M to crimp button 100.
The foregoing procedure for manipulating wire in a telecommunication junction box has, along with other procedures, been used many times by telephone technicians. One disadvantage of such procedures is that they each require separate tools. This requires a telephone technician to pick up, manipulate, and put down several tools while attempting to manually hold on to and manipulate one or more wires. It would be highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for crimping, splicing, or otherwise manipulating wires. One approach for minimizing the number of tools required by a telephone technician is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,831 to Crawley. The approach set forth in the Crawley patent still, however, requires the use of at least two tools. It would be desirable to provide a single tool that would enable a telephone technician to perform many tasks.
In addition to a crimping tool 20, other tools typically carried by a telephone technician include needle nose pliers, can wrench, a screwdriver with a small flat head, a screwdriver with a large flathead, a sni tool, a Phillips screwdriver with a “star” head, a pair of scissors, a sheath or cable knife, a flashlight, a punch down, bits utilized in the punch down, a wire pick, and a can of dog spray (not shown).
One kind of bolt that is incorporated in and that is operated to open and close access doors in a telecommunication junction box has a head including an aperture with an internal hex surface and a dimple formed in the bottom of the aperture. A sni tool is used to engage and turn this kind of bolt. The sni tool includes an external hex surface shaped to conform to and be slidably inserted in the hex surface of the bolt. The distal tip of sni tool includes a detent shaped and dimensioned to conform to and fit over the dimple.
A conventional can wrench is operated by a telecommunication technician by utilizing internal hex surfaces at either end of the can wrench to loosen and tighten hex nuts.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the instant invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for servicing a telecommunication junction box.
A further object of the invention is to provide a single tool that can be utilized by a technician to accomplish servicing of a telecommunication junction box.